


Say it through flowers

by MystericaEngland (MystericasMercy)



Series: Blueberries and Plums [4]
Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Marvel 616/MCU Hybrid, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Bucky Barnes Gets His Plums, Eventual Romance, Falling In Love, Happy Ending, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Identity Porn, Identity Reveal, It's kind of involved, Language of Flowers, M/M, POV Bucky Barnes, POV Tony Stark, Pre-Slash, Side Story, Tony Stark Has His Blueberries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-07-15 09:03:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7216171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MystericasMercy/pseuds/MystericaEngland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky had never been much of a flower fan. But when he saw a sign that read “If your name is James, come in and get your free flower!” he just couldn't stop himself from entering the shop – it wasn't like he had anything better to do anyway. What he didn't expect, though, was the animated, and most of all attractive looking, brunette with the goatee and blue eyes like that could draw you in and make you forget about all your surroundings, if you let them.</p><p>An AU in the Blueberry and Plums series that will have relevance in later main-stories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gardenia and Rainflower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bucky/Tony flowershop AU combined with:  
> @bokutosbiceps bucky finally gets some plums (and puns)  
> @AvionDS How about something between two characters of your choice that involves a swear jar and hilarity  
> *A sign I've seen in front of a flower shop once that read “If your name is __ come in for a free flower!”  
> * Demisexualmerrill: Person A owns a flower shop and person B comes storming in one day, slaps 20 bucks on the counter and says “How do I passive-aggressively say fuck you in flower?”  
>   
> Got any prompts? Message me on tumblr!  
> http://mystericaengland.tumblr.com/ask

Bucky had never been much of a flower fan. Ever. Or rather, he could appreciate them from afar, but had never been keen on giving them away, or receiving them, for that matter. Flowers meant events that he didn't want to attend – funerals, birthdays, people Steve forced him to date because he “needed to get out more” – so no, he wasn't a fan of them whatsoever. But when he saw a sign that read “If your name is James, come in and get your free flower!” he just couldn't stop himself from entering the shop – it wasn't like he had anything better to do anyway. What he didn't expect, though, was the animated, and most of all attractive looking, brunette with the goatee and blue eyes like that could draw you in and make you forget about all your surroundings, if you let them. The second the bell indicated Bucky's arrival, the man peered around the bouquets and made eye contact with him, looking him up and down with a small smile on his lips. It made his brain freeze for a moment. “How can I help you?” The man – Anthony, his nameplate indicated – asked him, and huh – while he thought his looks were great, then he certainly didn't expect his voice to be even better, being melodiously charming and warm.

“I'm here for my free flower. The name's James – well, Bucky to friends, but technically still James.” He shrugged and let his hands wander into his trousers' pockets, looking to the side in fear of finding himself gaping at the other, who now eyed him again and nodded briefly. Anthony inquired about when Bucky was born, and he readily responded, despite not knowing why on earth the man wanted to know that now – that is, until the florist returned with three narcissus flowers, handing them over with a smile Bucky would rather recognise as soft – at the moment, however, he was too focused on the flower choice to notice, and instead of being grateful, he found himself glaring daggers at the man. “You tryin' to tell me something there?” Another reason not to like flowers. Of course some asshole had to decide to mock him and call him vain. Of fucking course. And to think that he found this Anthony attractive, that he considered coming back to the shop. Shoving the flowers back into the florist's hands, he turned to leave – but was stopped by a hand that quickly reached out for him, landing on his prosthetic arm. Bucky all but expected the man to be taken aback by that, or to have some sort of reaction, but when he turned, the man didn't seem to notice or care, too focused on looking at Bucky's face instead.

“I'm sorry! I really should have explained to you why I had asked you for your birth date. We have this rule in which we give our customers flowers based on their birth month; their birth flowers. Now, since you were born in March, yours would be a daffodil; and stupid me didn't consider how it must have looked to you; I completely forgot that their other name is narcissus, I swear, I didn't mean to offend you. Please, let me make it up to you.” Anthony looked like he was about to say more, but he bit his lower lip and slowly released Bucky's arm, turning, and grabbing three more flowers – Gardenias, according to their label – and added them to Bucky's daffodils. “In the language of flowers, Gardenias mean 'good luck'. I guess I'm wishing you that in hopes that no one else nearly ruins your day like I almost did just now. I meant no harm, trust me, Jimbo.” Bucky couldn't stop himself from snorting at that; Anthony was just too much, with all his babbling; it was almost cute. He also noticed how the man didn't seem to mind the whole “one flower per customer” policy they had – he read it at a sign while the slightly older man went to gather his flowers – which amused him even more. He decided he likes the man. “Never call me Jimbo again, and I might just forgive you, doll.” He grinned, and was rewarded with a smile from the other man that he found himself liking more than he should. Yep, he was definitely going to return to this shop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next time he found himself near the flowershop, he was together with his best friend, Steve. Lucky for him, that was exactly the man he needed today. “Stevie, look!” He exclaimed and pointed at the sign that read “If your name is Grant, come in for your free flower.” Steve just raised a brow at him, evidently silently asking him when he became interested in flowers, having been reluctant to them from a very young age on, but didn't comment on it, instead making his way inside the shop. The bell tinkled, announcing their arrival, and surely enough, Anthony made his way towards the register from the back, smiling upon seeing Bucky, then, frowning once laying eyes on Steve, yet, quickly replacing it with another smile. It made Bucky uncomfortable to see this smile; it seemed plastic and fake, and so much unlike the smile he had been granted with the last time they spoke. He didn't like it. At all.

Steve strode towards the register and- pulled Anthony into a hug. “Hey Tony, it's been a while. How have you been? You look starved! Have you eaten enough? I bet you haven't! You really need to take better care of-” And at that, Tony interrupted him. “Steve. You're here for your flower, aren't you? I can take care of myself, thank you very much. Just take your flower and worry about your boyfriend over there, he looks kind of awestruck right now.” And at that, Anthony handed Steve a single nasturtium. Bucky filed that away for later, remembering the amount of flowers the brunette gave him in comparison, but what intrigued him now was the choice. He knew that Steve's birth flower wasn't that one, he had checked it after he received his. “Isn't Steve supposed to receive either water lilies or larkspurs?” He crossed his arms and raised a brow, looking the other man down – and noticing the way he gaped at him for just the split of a second before the side of his mouth twitched up and his eyes lit up. “Well, yeah. But Steve here, he's pretty much America's golden boy, isn't he? Being born on the 4th of fucking July-” “Language,” Steve interrupted with a sigh, “of all dates! So I decided, fuck it, I'm giving him a flower that yells patriotism.” Tony looked so proud of himself, with the biggest shit-eating grin Bucky had ever seen, that he couldn't help but laugh. Anthony, on the other hand, frowned a little at him and began to pout – and that, too, seemed to intrigue him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After that, the two of them would regularly come to visit Tony's “Friendly Neighbourhood Florist” shop. Steve would always attempt to get Tony to eat something, and, on some days, when Tony seemed to be tired and worn out, he would ask him to take a break, but the man always just waved him off, stating that he's fine and doesn't need him to worry about him. Moreover, he liked to remind Steve about how the man used to get sick when someone just dared to breathe in his presence, and how Steve would always ignore it, so, really, he had no right to dictate Tony's life. Bucky found that he liked that, too, about the guy. Just how much did he like about Tony, though? He knew next to nothing about him, besides him being a snarky and sarcastic little shit that doesn't take hypocrisy kindly. What he did know, however, was that he needed reasons to come to the shop, and since he really didn't have enough friends to ensure he would come in whenever they were able to receive a free flower, he decided to come once a week to ask Tony to make him a bouquet for his living room.

The first few times he comes, Tony asks him which flowers he wants; but Bucky, having no idea whatsoever about them, just tells him he'll leave it up to the genius' decision instead. And so, Tony returns with a bouquet of amaryllises, white anemones, bluebells, a lily of the valley, and some four-leaf clovers, handing it over with a reluctant smile before adding a single gardenia to it. They talk for a while, which eventually leads Steve to groan and demand for his two friends to set up a swear jar for whenever either of them begins to swear – and really, when aren't they swearing? - until Bucky has to leave again in order to return to his job. He returns in order to get his flowers replaced and refreshed, until he finally decides it's time for a new bouquet.

One week after his decision, and he asks Tony to work his magic; this time, Tony uses azaleas, canterbury bells, campanulas, pansies, dahlias, elderberries, and gladioluses. A part of him wonders whether or not he should be asking the man about the meaning of all the flowers, but at the other hand, he doesn't even know if the man is fully aware about the language of flowers. Just because he knew a few meanings didn't mean he was fluent; besides, it was probably part of his job to ensure that he could please his customers in some cases – or, in Steve's case, mock him with his use of flowers. Usually, Bucky would be against that; no one can mock Stevie except for him, thank you very much (Sam may try, but in the end, the guy is too much in awe of Steve to truly mock him) – but with his florist friend, he doesn't seem to mind at all, which surprises him again and again.

The next time he returns for a new bouquet, he tells Tony that he wants more than just one; that he has a vase in his bedroom now and wants to wake up to Tony's creations. The soft expression on Tony's face at that actually makes his heart beat faster, and he begins to wonder whether he keeps finding himself coming back to Tony because he actually likes him. Which, yeah, would be ridiculous, as he really just found a liking in flowers now, that's all. Besides, he's seen Tony with a woman named Pepper, probably his girlfriend, with whom he seemed rather intimate. Or maybe this other James – Rhodey, as Tony calls him – could be his boyfriend; he does call him honeybear and other terms of endearment, after all. But then again, Tony flirts with everyone who enters the shop, so that probably doesn't mean much. Though Bucky doesn't dare to dwell on that for too long – the guy's looked a lot more exhausted lately, and the last thing he needs is him trying to win his affections. So when Tony makes his two bouquets, using yellow and white cemellias, white carnations, fringed orchids, cherry blossoms, gardenias, hibiscuses, purple lilacs and violets, and plumerias, he decides to bury those feelings right then and there. Besides, he was scheduled to get a new and improved prosthetic arm; he really shouldn't be focusing on his florist right now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One week before he would get his new prosthetic, he decided to pay Tony one last visit before he could show-off. Steve, the traitor, however, was already there before him, and spoke all excitedly about Bucky's new arm; or, at least, that's what he gathered. What surprised him, however, was Tony's thoughtful expression, and how silent he was throughout the conversation. The moment Bucky stepped forward, however, and made himself known, Tony's face lit up in joy, and the man gave him a bouquet of irises and white poppies, saying it's a gift from him and means “Rejoice for some good news!”

Bucky glared at Steve for just a moment, before Tony held up a bag and asked “Blueberries?”, offering him his favourite healthy snack – and probably his only healthy snack, if all the doughnuts and pastries were any indication. Bucky wasn't one to complain, though, and grabbed a handful of them, popping them in his mouth as he carefully asked Tony whether or not he could make him another bouquet for his bedroom again. The florist eyed him for a long moment before he nodded, almost shyly, if you asked Bucky, and returned within a few minutes with a bouquet filled with red carnations, mallows, and arbutus. It was unusual for the florist to give Bucky such a small variety of flowers, but he figured that it was a design choice, and smiled widely at his friend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The door to the flower shop slammed open, and the bell rang wildly, marking the approach of Tony's most favourite customer and friend, James Barnes. However, unlike his usual self, this James seemed more than just a little pissed off, and Tony really couldn't grasp why. He tried to put on a comforting smile, already opening his mouth to say whatever necessary to calm his friend down, but James already stormed to the counter and slammed 20 bucks down, barking “How do I passive-aggressively say fuck you in flower?” out and making Tony flinch – not that James seemed to mind in that moment.

It took him a moment to process what his friend had said, and at first he let out an amused laugh – but the moment he realised that James wasn't joining in, his laughter stifled. The long haired man huffed in annoyance. “I need a bouquet that clearly shouts 'Fuck you, you rich-ass piece of shit'.” Tony nodded slowly, coming out from behind the counter, and picked through some flowers, slowly compiling a bouquet – wolf's bane, bird's-foot deervetch, and meadowsweets would be a good start, he figured. Someone who managed to piss James off to such a great amount must truly deserve his wrath. But he also couldn't let it be, so, in an attempt to get a better glimpse of the situation, he asked “Well... what did Natasha do to you?” as he grabbed some purple and yellow carnations, hydrangeas, and orange lilies, figuring that Natalia, James' co-worker and training-partner in the gym he regularly works out in with Sam and Steve, would be his girlfriend... or rather ex-girlfriend, by the looks of it.

James, however, just scoffed and blew his hair out of his face before hissing “It's not for her. It's for a fucking bastard, that's who it's for.” Humming in thought, Tony finished his bouquet with columbines, chocolate lilies, geraniums, and liquorice, handing it to James with a slow nod. “Care to share what happened?” He tries one last time, knowing that he's won the second he locked eyes with James. The taller man let out a long breath and finally started: “You see this thing here? That's my new arm. Now, apparently fucking Anthony Edward Stark considered it necessary to pay the full price for it. Why? Probably because he considered it necessary, knowing that I've had relations to his father – who was a fucking asshole, by the way – and wanted to make daddy's friends proud or some shit. Or maybe he considered me a cripple in need of some charity. Whatever. Point is. I didn't need him to fucking do that; I've got the money for that shit. If I wouldn't have the money, I wouldn't be able to come here every fucking week to get new flowers or somethin'. God, he pisses me off!”

Tony paled, feeling all the blood disappear from his face. He should've known. He should've thought about this. He should've considered James' feelings about the subject, but he messed up again! Fucking typical! Why couldn't he do anything right? He nodded slowly, and croaked out a quiet “Yeah, I heard that Stark guy is a total jackass”, which only caused James to carry on with his ramblings about how much of a shithead Stark was. In the meantime, Tony picked up some red spider lillies, sweet peas, and forget-me-nots – a goodbye. Because once James would find out who he truly was, he wouldn't want to return to his shop. He wouldn't want to see Tony again. God, he was so stupid.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been a month since the last time Bucky saw Tony, and he started to worry about him. Whenever he returned to the shop, there was only this elderly lady named May, and no sight whatsoever of Tony. Finally having had enough, he decided to ask her where he went, and she just looked at him as if he were joking, before finally answering his question. “You'll be able to see him on television in about 5 minutes”, she noted, and Bucky, although wary of her statement, decided to go in the back-room of the shop, having been allowed by Tony to enter there long ago, having shared many coffees with his favourite florist there, before turning on the TV and grabbing one of the plums Tony had ensured would always be there after he learnt about Bucky's difficulty to find some on one occasion – it had become their insider joke; blueberries and plums; Tony and Bucky.

He didn't feel like joking once he saw Tony, though. The man looked exhausted, and his smile was nothing but plastic and fake; it was obvious that Tony hadn't slept in at least a few days, and by the looks of it, he hadn't had enough to eat as of late, either. It made Bucky's stomach drop – but nothing could compare to the gut-wrenching feeling he got once a reporter asked “Mr Stark, what do you have to say about your newly improved prosthetic series, and why did you decide to finish your product ahead of the initially scheduled time?”

Tony's smile faltered, just for a second, before he regained his composure, laughing, and simply stating that “A friend of mine needed a hand. And since I couldn't let our blooming friendship lie like this, I decided to increase the working hours spent on prosthetics, decided to make an unique model for him myself; I sadly had to discover that I had made a mistake, and our friendship started to wilt from there, but I think my work still came in quite handy for him.”

Bucky shot up and went back to Aunt May, asking her about the meaning of the last three flowers Tony gave to him. With a sad smile, she told him “Forget-me-nots, besides the clear meaning that is already in their very name, are a sign of true love, red spider lilies indicate that two are to never meet again, and sweet peas are a goodbye.” His heart dropped to his stomach, and the whole world seemed to turn faster, the ground appeared to swallow him whole. He had said those terrible things about Tony, right in front of Tony, and he didn't even know. He never even considered that his Tony might be the same Tony that he heard about in the news on a regular basis. He didn't know. How did he not know?!

Before he could say anything more, however, May placed a hand on his shoulder and said: “My nephew is good friends with Tony, and he's currently his intern. If you would like him to, he could confront Tony for you.” Bucky nodded slowly and asked her to combine ambrosia and rainflowers to a bouquet, requesting for it to be sent to Tony without a single word; he would understand. And by the looks on May's face, so did she.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flowers:  
> Daffodils/Narcissuses: Respect, chivalry, egoism - the birth flower of March  
> Gardenia: A flower that brings luck  
> Larkspur and water lillies: The birth flowers of July  
> Nasturitum: A flower indicating patriotism  
>   
> Bouquets:  
> (A) Amaryllis, white anemone, bluebell, lily of the valley, four-leaf clover, gardenia (Stand for: The luck, joy, and anticipation of and for Bucky's return, Bucky's hidden beauty (and Tony's shyness [hanakotoba]), sincerity [hanakotoba], gratefulness [hanakotoba], the sweetness of Bucky's presence [hanakotoba])  
> (B) Azalea, canterbury bell, campanula, pansy, dahlia, elderberry, and gladiolus (Stand for: The gratitude of Bucky's return, a wish for him to take care of himself [hanakotoba for pansies, normal for azalea], Bucky's secret elegance and dignity, and his compassion to return to Tony, despite how much hard work he can be, which shows how strong Bucky truly is)  
>   
> (C) Yellow and white camellias, white carnation, fringed orchid, cherry blossom, gardenia, hibiscus, purple lilac, purple violet, and plumeria (Stand for: Tony's fascination with Bucky and his longing for his return, the gentleness Bucky portrays with every visit, and his kindness towards Tony, Tony's joy of seeing Bucky and the secret longing and love he's developed towards him; Tony's always remaining thoughts of him that never leave, not even in his dreams and daydreams; Tony's general first feelings of love towards Bucky and the perfection he sees within the man [most of this is the hanakotoba meaning of the flowers]  
>   
> (D) Iris and white poppy  
> (E) Red carnation, mallow, arbutus (Stand for: deep romantic love and passion, Tony feeling consumed by his feelings towards Bucky, and Bucky being "the only one he loves")  
>   
> (F) Yellow carnation, purple carnation, columbine, hydrangea, lavender, orange lily, chocolate lily, geranium, meadowsweet, liquorice plant, wolf's bane, bird's-foot deervetch (Stand for: Disdain, disappointment, unreliability, ingratitude, heartlessness, distrust, hatred, revenge, curse, stupidity, uselessness, a declaration against someone, misanthropy, and revenge - basically what Tony imagines Bucky feels towards him)  
>   
> (G) Forget-me-not, red spider lily, sweet pea  
> (H) Ambrosia and rainflower  
> 


	2. Camellia and Petunia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bucky/Tony flowershop AU combined with:  
> @bokutosbiceps bucky finally gets some plums  
> @AvionDS How about something between two characters of your choice that involves a swear jar and hilarity  
> @maluxian put them into a super mushy situation only to have a third person crash in  
> *A sign I've seen in front of a flower shop once that read “If your name is __ come in for a free flower!”

"Mr Stark, hey, uh, I have a personal delivery for you, Sir." Tony was deep within thoughts as he heard Peter's voice coming from the corner of his workshop; the kid was the only one besides Pepper and Rhodey who still had access to his shop, what with all the trouble Obie had caused him before he got sent to prison for attempted murder, and he never came down without a good reason, being well-aware of Tony's trust issues. In other words: Parker had good reason to come here. Narrowing his eyes, Tony closed off his programmes and turned to face the boy- only to gape at him in turn. What he was faced with wasn't even his intern; instead, he found himself looking at dozens of rain lilys, surrounded by ambrosia, held in front of the boy, who attempted, and failed, to look around them.  _I am sorry. I love you back. I would never forget about you._ His message had been heard loud and clearly. Somehow, along the way, James must have found out about the meaning behind his leaving bouquet; somehow, James must have learnt how to reach him. But Tony couldn't get his hopes up. He just couldn't. Not after everything that had happened. Surely James couldn't have simply forgiven him; not after everything he had done. Tony swallowed and took a deep breath as he walked towards Parker and took his flowers with shaky hands, putting his best camera smile in place before lowering the gift enough to face the nephew of his former co-worker. "You may send out my gratitude, kiddo. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some more work to do." And with that, he turned away and signalled the other to leave with a dismissing handwave; only when he heard the door close behind the teenager, Tony allowed himself to let out a whimper and slid to the ground. It was too much. He had told himself he wouldn't let it get to him; but he hadn't taken James Buchanan Barnes into account.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When May told him that Tony wouldn't be coming back anytime soon, Bucky wasn't surprised in the slightest. He wouldn't either, if he were honest. But that didn't mean Bucky wasn't going to come to the flower shop every day; he never purchased any flowers for himself, not willing to accept a bouquet by anyone but his favourite florist, but the familiarity of the shop made him feel at ease, feel at home. He couldn't help it, in the end. Ever since his first encounter with Tony, he had been drawn to the flowershop. Now, when he thought about flowers, all he could think about was the slightly older man, with blue eyes that were much like the forget-me-nots he had handed to Bucky before he said his final goodbye, and brown hair, much like the chocolate lily from the bouquet the man was forced to prepare for himself; a bouquet filled with hatred, anger, and resentment, and so, so very different from what Bucky actually felt towards his florist. 

During his time in the shop, Aunt May, as he had begun to call her – "All of Peter's and Tony's friends call me that, so you may as well, Jim" – started teaching him about the language of flowers; and Bucky just realised how aware Tony must have been of every single message he had given to him, because soon enough, Bucky realised that Tony had started to feel something for him about the same time that he had begun to feel for Tony; by the time he had asked for his third proper and new bouquet. May Parker informed him that Tony has a deep love towards the Japanese meaning of flowers, finding them often more expressive than the Western meanings, and thus, the bouquet he had been handed at that time must have weighed especially much in consideration to Tony's heart. Which made it an even bigger shame that only two more bouquets were to come until Bucky would eliminate every last bit of hope towards a romance between the two of them in Tony's heart.

The moment that realisation hit him, he began to feel physically sick; was Tony still suffering? He hadn't returned to the flowershop ever since he left Bucky behind. Biting his lower lip, Bucky moved towards the flowers and picked up purple hyacinths and primroses; he had to let Tony know how sorry he is, he had to ask for forgiveness somehow; because a huge part inside of him said that he wouldn't be able to live without the genius anymore, not truly. Tony seemed to be giving up so much for so many and no one ever realises it; Bucky hadn't until it was too late, Aunt May never mentioned it directly. It was because Tony didn't like being put in the spotlight for things he genuinely cared about, genuinely put effort in; he had given the Parkers their own flowershop once he heard that May would have loved to work in one, he had given Peter an internship with a payment high enough to give them more than enough money to get through the month even without their shop, and he had given Bucky his arm. By the looks of it, Steve and Tony had discussed it multiple times; because when Bucky finally asked Steve about their conversation when Tony had offered him his blueberries, Steve just said "Tony had been interested in the works of your arm for quite a while now", which was just another sign that Tony had been working behind the shadows all along. How much time must he have spent working on the prosthetics for his arm before and after his shifts in the flowershop, between work for SI, and his personal projects? Tony had apparently never spent so much time in the flowershop before Bucky came to visit the shop, which was just another indicator that Bucky really messed up this time, and really, really had to fix his mistakes.

The next time Anthony Edward Stark made a public appearance, Bucky was prepared. He stood right in front of the red carpet, and the second Tony was anywhere near him, he threw the flowers in front of his feet, startling the man in his steps and getting a surprised yelp out of him. To his dismay, he couldn't see those expressive eyes, as they had been hidden behind sunglasses, but his plastic smile cracked, a pleased smile appeared for just the split of a second, before it disappeared and twisted in pain, just before yet another plastic smile appeared. Someone picked the flowers up, and Tony whispered in their ear to take them to his car, before he faced Bucky and said: "Thank you, but don't worry, I will not be charging you for the arm. It is yours to keep, no matter what. You have made this all possible." And just like that, he was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When would this feeling end? When would he finally be able to get over James? Aunt May kept telling him how he inquired about Tony's well-beings, how he would come to the shop every day, despite having to work himself, and how he would spend all his time studying flowers and the language of such. But why? The last thing Tony knew was that James had wanted him gone, that he resented the man who thought he had to make a show of using his money to help the poor man that lost his arm. So why was he attempting to understand Tony better now? Tony looked at his wilt bouquet and his new bouquet; both were asking for his forgiveness. But there was nothing for Tony to forigve James for; Tony was the one who did him wrong, after all.

Just a few hours later, Tony was faced with yet another bouquet in his workshop. He had been working non-stop and had no idea how it got there, but where once was his coffee machine was now a bouquet of tulips; some variegated, some yellow, but most of them were red. In the language of flowers, this was as good as a poem; a talk about the sunshine in Tony's smile, and the beauty in his eyes; a true declaration of love. The sheer amount of red tulips only intensified the meaning, basically begging him to believe in James' words. He really, really didn't know how to feel about this, so he called Peter up and asked the kid to send some petunias James' way, telling him that he is finally finding some comfort again, although still far from being anywhere near okay. He had learnt long ago that James liked the flowers the most, that he would sometimes draw them and considered getting a tattoo of them, so they should have been the best way to tell him he was getting better. Except they weren't.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What Tony hadn't considered was their double-meaning. When Bucky was faced with the petunias, he knew – or rather thought he knew – that Tony was definitely angry. You couldn't blame him for that, either. Bucky had spent half an hour, if not longer, complaining about who he thought was just one of those rich guys that felt the need to help a cripple, which he pointedly wasn't. But Tony wasn't one of those rich men, and Bucky wasn't willing to give up. He'd always been determined to get to where he wanted to be; if it would be trickier this time, well, he wasn't one to complain. Besides, it wasn't even like he needed to get into a relationship with Tony – as nice as that certainly would be – it was more that he just needed him to be his friend again. God knows he needed some of those, and, having realised that Tony himself fell rather short on the friend-line as well, he knew that Tony needed him as well, even more so when taking his worn out and tired looking self into consideration. God, he was even smitten with Tony when he looked like shit, he was really gone for, wasn't he? But that just gave him an idea. Asking May to send her nephew with the most beautiful stock plant to Tony, Bucky was sure that Tony would understand what he's saying; "You'll always be beautiful to me. Even if you hate me, even if you're overworking yourself and got eyebags that are probably designer, you'll always be beautiful to me, and hold all my affections." Because he had to understand. 

The next time Tony sent him flowers back, Bucky understood. Tony didn't resent him. Instead of sending new flowers, Tony let him have more petunias; some were red, symbolising his still existing love for Bucky, others were pink, showing his compassion and the gentleness inside of the man's heart. There were white and blue ones, indicating the trust Tony still experienced towards Bucky, but also the intimacy between their relationship, and the truth about Tony's feelings for him. This time, Bucky wouldn't send Peter away with flowers; this time, the boy would have to deliver a message.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"If your name is Anthony, get inside to get your free flower." Tony blinked at the sheer absurdity of the sign; it had been months since he wrote James on it – and it was mostly to piss Rhodey off, who told him that he should do more work on weaponry, rather than going all Love and Piece with fucking Flower Power. And now there he was, in front of the flowershop he had given his intern's family – a thank you for all the improvements the kid made in Stark Industries, really – and for the first time in forever, he wanted to run away again. He wasn't ready to face James, not really, but he had to. He had to know if the man really forgave him, really felt for him as well. He just had to know. Taking off his sunglasses, he stepped inside –

And instead of his usual variety of flowers, the shop was filled with nothing but petunias and bouquets of camellias. Pink ones, red ones, white ones. Tony didn't even know where to look; but he didn't have to, either. Because there he was, James Buchanan Barnes, ready with a beautiful camellia bouquet, tied together with a blue ribbon, which he held towards Tony with a hesistant smile. Of course, Tony couldn't help but return the smile – which only made James' grow. God, did the man know his smile made the sun look dull? It was so beautiful; Tony was sure sunflowers would always turn their heads towards him, because the way it warmed up Tony's heart was a huge sign as to what it could do to men with a less cold heart; or, well, flowers.

"Tony, I am sorry. I didn't know it was you. I didn't know you. I just- I thought the media's Stark was just one of those-- nah, doll, it doesn't matter what I thought. I was wrong, and 'am sorry. I don't hate you, I love you." While James had been apologising, Tony was about to take the flowers from him, but the second he said those three little words that Tony had been too afraid to say himself, he stopped in his track, his hands brushing over James', his eyes widening and jumping up from the flowers to James' eyes. They were warm and filled with love, and so unlike the cold stare he sometimes had on his face. Every part of James' posture screamed love and trust and hope; it made Tony's stomach feel like it was filled with butterflies; he felt like he could lift off the ground right this instant, if anyone would let him. Instead, however, he felt wetness on his face. Tears. He hadn't cried in years, not even when his trust was misused over and over again; wasn't he supposed to be made out of iron, and not as gentle as a flower? Tony wanted to reach up and rub his tears away, but in that moment James had already lifted one hand and gently brushed them away – with his prosthetic arm.

Tony leant into the touch, and both subconsciously came closer to one another, the flowers all but forgotten between them, and moments later on the ground. James leant towards Tony, his hair gently tickling the shorter man's face, and they were merely an inch apart now. "Is it okay if I kiss you, sweetheart? I can understand if you don't want me to, Antoshka, but I'd be honoured if you'd let me." Unable to speak, Tony nodded, and a second later, they shared their first kiss. It was chaste, gentle, and felt like a promise; a promise to never let each other go anymore. When they parted, both of their eyes seemed to hold galaxies within them; both of them were filled with hope, and love, and trust, and so much more, and so, they leant in for another one. Tony slowly parted his lips, granting James access to explore his mouth, but there was no haste in it, throughout it all, it remained slow and gentle, and Tony was sure that the second he made any show of not wanting this, James would stop and give him the space he needed. But that was it, wasn't it? He needed James in his space. Needed him to be with him. Needed-

"Oh, Tony, you're back!" James and Tony all but jumped at Steve's voice, the former all-but growling at his best friend, while the latter went into a series of curses and a long whine of "Steeeeeeeeeeve... why must you ruin all my happiness? Wasn't it enough that you made me go to church that one time? Just because there was a charity that you thought was worth to be looked into? I still haven't recovered from that experience, just so you know! People still believe that I have come to seek forgiveness from an old man with a long white beard like they have no imagination. For all we know, if that guy exists, he would probably be anything but white, and-" James turned him around and kissed him again, shutting him up, before Tony could continue to ramble against his mouth. "See? This is what I'm fucking talking about, I can finally have a piece of happiness and it's all just because you're not interfering. Please, please, please go the fuck away, I'll send you a bouquet for free if you do, hell, I'll send the entirety of Queens a bouquet if I have to, because I just want my damn moment of peace with Bucky-Bear here, and-"

"Tony, Stevie just left. He also pointed at the overfilled swear jar, which probably means that it's time for you to not only pay into it, but also take me out on that trip we had planned. What with all the clowns and mimes and fairy floss." Tony blinked at James and – yep, he was definitely asking Tony out on a date. A huge smile formed on the genius' lips, and with a nod, he leant in for yet another kiss, then grabbed James' hand and off they went.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_ Tony Stark had been seen holding hands and sharing kisses with the war-veteran James Buchanan Barnes, a friend of his father, who- _

Bucky turned the television off. He was not Howard's friend, and he would not stand for anyone saying differently. Because the second he allowed them to have those false beliefs, Tony might believe that he was only in it out of pity. And he wasn't. The road to make Tony believe in his love was long and hard, but he wasn't going to stop on his tracks, either. Too good was his time with Tony to let anything get in the way of it. Not even the sheer absurdity that were Tony's gifts for him. Because when he walked into their now shared floor, Bucky was faced with bouquets over bouquets of flowers – petunias and camellias, the flowers that had become the symbol of their relationship, carnations and roses, gardenias and forget-me-nots. And if that wasn't enough, Steve's paintings of the two of them together were more than just cute, not to mention Tony's madness of the moment that caused him to buy tons of almond milk and plums, just because Bucky mentioned once – just once – that he wasn't able to get either. Yep, his partner was a little bit crazy, but that was just a big part of his charm. And if it made his heart beat a little faster to see Tony's proud smile at his work, well, he wasn't one to complain about that, either.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was that!  
> This fanfic wasn't beta'd, which means that there are mistakes in it. Not to mention that I wrote most of it past-midnight, which, really, didn't help. As for the flowers; a lot of it was from the top of my head, so there may be mistakes, but the hanakotoba meanings of them should be wikipedia-correct. Should you wish for a sequel to this AU, feel free to leave prompts; I do have an idea for one, but unless there's any demand, I'll probably drop it.  
> (The sequel would be called "Because words aren't enough" - "Say it through flowers, because words aren't enough." Clever, huh?)  
> Anyways, thanks for reading, and have a lovely day! c:
> 
> Got any prompts? Message me on tumblr!  
> http://mystericaengland.tumblr.com/ask


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